My battery keeps going dead when I let the car sit overnight.
I can go to school and leave it for 4-5 hours and it will be alright but overnight it will go dead.
I thought my amps might be doing it so I unpluged the main power feed and it still did it.
The I noticed the glove box wasnt adjusted properly and the light was staying on so I fixed that.
Now its still doing it and I dont know where to look.

I looked at night and found no lights staying on. My tach is only on with ignition, which the ignition has a cut off switch. I usually unplug everything and turn off everything but it still goes dead.
So i need some hints on where to look for the problem.

Thanks

When you get home after school, disconnect the battery and then let it sit over night. The next day, reconnect it and see if it starts. If it doesn't then there may be a battery problem (or a battery and alternator system problem).
If it does start then there has to be a drain somewhere (something drawing power).
Since you have checked for any lights staying on then maybe there is a problem with the alternator ?. Try disconnecting it over night and reconnecting it in the morning to do another test.
Ideally you need a meter to check for amperage draw but a test light could work in a pinch somewhat.

Try and keep the battery from being completely discharged. Most never like being deep cycled. When they are most will not come back to where they were before and if fully discharged again become even worse.

Jim

You can do a realy easy test using a 12v lighbulb and socket from a junkyard as a test light, disconnect the positive battery terminal when you get home and wire up the light between the positive terminal and the positive lead. If it lights up ? something is drawing current, start disconnecting things (one at a time) like voltage reg, altenator, TRUNK light ? even pull fuses out one by one till the light go's out, then you've found the source. If it dosen't light up in series with the battery ? you need a new battery.
dave

Check the trunk light. We found one that stayed on ALL the time.

hey Levon ! how are you ? I hear it's a mild winter in Alberta so far ?
dave

Thanks guys thats the help I was looking for. I dont have a trunk light but I do have a hood light but I also disconnected it thinking it could be a problem.
I will try those in the next couple of days and hope to find the problem.
once agian thanks

OK I hooked up a small 6V light bulb to see if it would light up. It did and very bright so I started pulling out all the fuses and it still didnt go off. Then I unpluged the horn relay wires and it was still on. Then I remembered someone stated alternator so I started taking off the wire to the battery and the light went off. I have an internally regulated alternator (bypassed external one) When I hook up the wire that goes from terminal one to the alternator post the light comes on. Could this mean the alternator is shorted?
Thanks Dave and Jim for the help

When I hook up the wire that goes from terminal one to the alternator post the light comes on. Could this mean the alternator is shorted?
Thanks Dave and Jim for the help
You have it wired incorrectly. Where do you have terminal 2 wired to? With terminal one wired to the alternator post, the alternator is always "on".

Terminal 1 should be wired to the GEN light, which was originally a brown wire that went to terminal 4 at the old external VR. If you used the original wiring, whatever wire the brown is jumpered to goes to terminal 1. Most instuctions and links use the blue wire. This wire should have 12 volts with the key in the on position and none with the key off.

Terminal 2 can go to alternator post or better yet back to the horn relay or jumpered at the old VR plug. This wire will have 12 volts all the time. If you used the original wiring, this wire would go to terminal 3 at VR plug. Most instuctions and links use the white wire.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/alternator_wiring_pic2.JPG

thanks greg I had the two wires switched at the alternator.

DANNY: I just had that problem with mine. I would charge it for a few hrs. then the next day or day after that. it wouldn't start. after 3 times doing that. I poped the covers on the battery. and checked the fluid. one side was low so i checked it with a battery tester none of the balls would float on one side. on the other they were alright. so I bought a new battery from napa. the car sat over a week and started right up. any help? rick